The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the escalation of fighting in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel, council president Slovenia said Tuesday. Lebanon’s health ministry reported that at least 569 people had been killed in two consecutive days of Israeli strikes across the country. Earlier, US President Joe Biden warned against all-out war between the neighbouring countries in his farewell address to the UN General Assembly. Read our liveblog to see how all the day's events unfolded.
Summary:
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The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Lebanon at 6pm (2200 GMT) Wednesday, said Slovenia, which holds the presidency of the 15-member council for September.
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At least 569 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon since Monday, Health Minister Firass Abiad told Al Jazeera Mubasher TV.
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Hezbollah said it had launched dozens of rockets at an Israeli military base near the northern city of Safed following the Israeli military's announcement that it had killed one of the Iran-backed group’s top commanders in the suburbs of Beirut.
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US President Biden warned against a "full-scale war" in Lebanon, calling for a diplomatic solution as he delivered his farewell address to the UN General Assembly.
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Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on Tuesday said Israel's war in the Gaza Strip was a "genocide" as he addressed world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly. Qatar has been attempting to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas for months.
Yesterday's key developments:
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The US is “sending a small number of additional military personnel” to boost its forces in the Middle East “in light of increased tension” there, Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said. Washington currently has about 40,000 troops in the region.
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Israel launched a widespread wave of air strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, simultaneously targeting the country's south, its eastern Bekaa valley and a southern suburb of Beirut. The Israeli military said late Monday that its air strikes in Lebanon had hit more than 1,600 Hezbollah targets in the previous 24 hours.
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The Israeli military called on people in Lebanon to move away from Hezbollah targets and said it was carrying out “extensive and precise” strikes against the group. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu issued a videotaped warning aimed at Lebanese civilians urging them to heed Israeli calls to evacuate their homes. Thousands of people fled southern Lebanon, jamming highways, including the main route to Beirut.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP, Reuters)
